Side Story 2: Syringe
The night was deep, and the villa was so quiet that only the faint sound of the central air conditioning could be heard.
Lu Zhian leaned against the door frame of the master bedroom, holding a used transparent syringe in his hand, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force.
He was wearing a silk bathrobe with the collar loosely open, but his eyes were sharp as knives as he stared intently at Xiao Yuan, who had just finished showering and was only wearing a towel as he walked out of the bathroom.
Xiao Yuan paused in his act of drying his hair, the towel draped over his wet black hair, water droplets rolling down his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles.
"Zhi'an?" His voice was slightly hoarse from his shower.
Lu Zhian didn't speak, but walked closer step by step until he forced Xiao Yuan to back away, his knees hitting the edge of the bed, and he unexpectedly sat down on the soft mattress. Lu Zhian then leaned over, one hand bracing himself on the bed beside Xiao Yuan, the other holding the syringe, almost touching Xiao Yuan's face, trapping him in his shadow.
"Xiao Yuan," Lu Zhian's voice was soft, yet carried an oppressive air of impending doom, "is there anything you want to say to me?"
Xiao Yuan stiffened slightly at Lu Zhian's sudden approach and oppressive posture, especially when Lu Zhian's hand, which was braced on the bed, inadvertently brushed against his side, sending a tingling, electric shock through him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he struggled to concentrate. "...What?"
"Xiao Yuan!" Lu Zhian emphasized, pushing the syringe forward slightly. "What is this? It's in the trash can, in your office, and now it's in your room! Tell me, what is this?!"
His eyes betrayed his undisguised panic and anger, and his voice even trembled slightly at the end. He was afraid to hear the worst possible answer.
Seeing the fear in his eyes, Xiao Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, as if the steam rising from his bath had cooled down. He spoke in a hoarse voice, breaking the suffocating silence: "It's medicine."
"Medicine?" Lu Zhian was furious. He slammed his free hand down on Xiao Yuan's firm thigh muscles, making a crisp sound. "What kind of medicine requires you to inject it secretly with a syringe like this?!"
Xiao Yuan's muscles tensed from the blow. He looked up and met Lu Zhian's burning gaze. Complex emotions surged within those usually calm and composed eyes. He spoke candidly, "Suppressant..."
Lu Zhian was stunned by the word "suppressant drug".
The word was distant and unfamiliar, instantly pulling him back to the depths of his memory filled with the smell of laboratory disinfectant, cold equipment, and inhuman torture.
He should have considered the snow leopard gene earlier. Freed from the forced control of the laboratory, these instinctual cycles belonging to wild animals might revert to a more natural, yet more uncontrollable, form.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to recover from the brief shock, his eyes sharpening: "Where did this medicine come from?"
“A pharmaceutical company I was working with,” Xiao Yuan replied, his voice still low and hoarse, “provided it to me privately.”
Lu Zhian frowned deeply. A private pharmaceutical dealer? Efficacy, safety, dependency... all unknowns.
Countless terrible possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant. He stared at Xiao Yuan, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I want to see him."
Xiao Yuan was clearly stunned: "Brother..."
“I want to see him,” Lu Zhian repeated, his tone resolute and brooking no argument. “Now, tell me his contact information, or arrange a time. Xiao Yuan, don’t try to fool me.”
He looked down at the man trapped beneath him, watching water droplets drip from his hair and soak into the towel around his waist, and seeing the slight surprise and barely perceptible vulnerability showing on his usually cold face.
The turbulent waves of fear of loss that had surged in Lu Zhian's heart slowly subsided, replaced by a heavier heartache.
He's determined to handle this matter.
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